Keeping the blogosphere posted on the goings on of the world of submarines since late 2004... and mocking and belittling general foolishness wherever it may be found. Idaho's first and foremost submarine blog. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me; don't call me at home.)

Friday, August 06, 2010

Happy Friday!

Not much going on the the world of Submarines (except for a revision to the equation used in the stationary bike option for the PRT), so here's a video of the song "Shop Vac" by geek troubador Jonathan Coulton that's either a modern fable of suburban ennui or a warning about the dangers of having sex with workshop appliances:

Must be way out of it...didn't even know that bike had been added to PRT...used to be jealous of USAF at War College when they could use the bike. I couldn't swim nor run worth a shit, but I could kick butt on the bike. Guess I would be a NWU stud these days! LOL

I think the early '80s was the first time that I ever heard of a PT test. I imagine that it was a CNO or MCPON initiative. Drug testing ramped up around similar time frame but junior folks were transitioned in on zero tolerance aspect. For some reason 1978-1979 stands out and rings a bell but unsure exact year.

I'm not sure when we started doing the PRT for real, but I know back when we started it was not very well regulated. Point Loma used to run from behind the parking garage down hill, past McDonalds, back around the barracks, and to the flagpole. I believe it was 1.25mi, all downhill. Even my fat a$$ used to run it in about 9min, and of course counting by prime numbers was the order of the day for push ups and sit ups. Also, the PRT was usually followed by a command kegger picnic...

1962, during Vietnam. Was it Navy wide or just your bird farm? I think that the PRT stuff was ramping up after Vietnam, post-1975when the druggies were running wild, racial issues were still being dealt with etc... When was Zumwalt the CNO?

The stationary bike is a nod to our Air Force brothers. Unfortunately, passing the bike doesn't mean a lot. One of our guys who always passes the bike tried to run in our weekly PT session, and couldn't make it a mile in formation.

The stationary bike doesn't work your cardio like a good old fashioned run does. That means he started to run short of breath before finishing the first mile. The bike is BULLSHIT!!!...Plain and simple!

What I tell my guys is, they need to run atleast twice a week. I'm not talking wind sprints either. Just a nice little 30min shuffle when one has the time. Just open your lungs a bit that's all. I don't give a shit if you a couple of LBS over tape...we can get around that.

The biggest concern regarding PRT is the run. It's exceptionally difficult to help trim a couple of minutes off a guy's run time with everyone else watching. So you need to make the damned run.

Now, with sit ups and push ups, we can fake it to some extent. I've also counted by twos in order to get a guy through for the year. I don't care how he looks in Black & Tans or NWUs. Can he put out an electrical fire, save me from drowning and supervise a missile load? That's all I want to know.

If he's getting a beer gut, that's fine. We can work on it in a reasonable manner, not a problemo.

I for one can max push ups and the run. I will only do the minimum of the bullshit sit ups required. Sit ups hurt my lower back (The coccyx) for about two days after when I have to perform the motherfuckers. I hate sit ups with a passion and that's the same opinion of most of the guys I know as well.

Can we trade in sit ups for the bike per chance? Yes, I realize such a trade would be redundant because we still have a run to complete, but I'll take the bike over sit ups anyday. The only thing with the bike is that it does very little for the cardio. I've yet to comprehend why the Navy fails to understand such a simple concept in life.

NPC oversees the instruction. There are some who have been abusing the bike to get higher scores than they'd ever garner on a run, and it hasn't gone without notice, hence the change.

Keeping the bike as an option is a good deal for fleet manning. There are alot of Sailors whose ankles/knees are shot and they can't get through the run. The bike is low/no impact to the joints and allows them to continue to serve.

The bike wasn't designed to let fat desk jockeys get Excellent or better on a PFA, so they've tweaked the #'s to make that alot harder. Now you can do the bike and PASS, but it isn't likely you'll be getting an outstanding.

The run is the only somewhat honest portion of the test.

At least they scrapped the sit-reach from giving you a failure awhile back. For me to pass wearing shorts, I'd have to strain something. Can't do it w/ my legs straight so I used to wear baggy sweats to hide the bend in my knees.

The word from the PT gurus us that the sit-ups are going away. Apparently, there are only a limited number of times the lower back can flex, so the new core body exercise will be planks. We've been doing those for a month or so at command PT, and I think holding a plank for 45 sec is harder than sit-ups. I haven't seen an official memo or implement date yet, so that could be all bogus. Planks are a good way to ramp up the abs though with a lot less lower back pain.

Us old guys won the Cold War by smoking cigarettes, eating double bacon cheeseburgers, drinking beer, being over weight and out of shape and operating submarines that intimidated the hell out of the Soviets.

Seems to me that the Navy should be more concerned about ship operations, i.e. not running into things, and less concerned about body image and social engineering.

My personal bias is that the fish named boats could out "submarine" any of the city or state named boats.

Push up (raised) position except with your elbows on the ground. Hold in that position for 30 seconds (or more), while keeping your back straight as a board from head to toes. Alot harder than it sounds. Can do left and right sides by rotating your body 90 degrees (so you are on your side) and keeping your off arm straight up in the air (to maintain balance).

Come to the most professional Diablo 3 Gold store!Diabloiiigold is your ideal site which would provide you free D3 Gold with fast delivery. Since we have been released the Diablo 3 gold service more than 7 months, we have been collected more than 10 thousands players to be our member.

About Me

I'm Joel Kennedy -- a married, 50-something year old retired submarine officer and esophageal cancer survivor with three kids who has finally made the transition to civilian life. Politically, I'm a Radical Moderate. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me. Don't call me at home.)